News Archive

Marymount School of New York Celebrates Birthday of its Fab Lab

On May 17th, 2012 Marymount School of New York, an independent Catholic girls' school for students in nursery through grade twelve, celebrated the first birthday of its Fab Lab. The creation and use of the Fab Lab (short for fabrication laboratory) represents the School's willingness to embrace the tenets of 21st century teaching and learning.
The genesis of the Fab Lab at Marymount grew out of bold steps the School took to provide experiential STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education for its students throughout primary and secondary school.

Headmistress Concepcion R. Alvar said, “Our commitment to STEM education helps address the alarming data regarding the underrepresentation of women in professional STEM fields. We aim to cultivate a problem solving, collaboration, innovation, and entrepreneurship mindsetñwe want our students to be doers and makers.”
Under the guidance of Mr. Jaymes Dec, Marymount’s Fab Lab Administrator, students discover 2D and 3D computer-aided design, digital prototyping and fabrication techniques, computer programming, and mechanical and electrical engineering.
The concept of a Fab Lab was born at MIT, the brainchild of Professor Neil Gershenfeld. His goal was to create a set of machines, and the software necessary to communicate those designs to the machines. Anyone is able to create products of their own design using precision tools and manufacturing processes.
Since Marymount's Fab Lab opened at the start of the 2011-2012 school year, students have been using its tools to prototype electronic circuits and connect them to the Arduino Microcontroller, connecting digital inputs and outputs to the Arduino and writing programs to allow for simple human-computer interactions. Students have also learned to design and build their own circuit boards. Middle School students have programmed simple animations, video games, and interactive art. In addition, students have translated their two-dimensional designs to three-dimensional designs and posted those designs to TinkerCAD.com, where they caught the attention of other designers including the CEO of TinkerCAD.
“The Fab Lab opens up infinite possibilities for learning and exploring,” explained Mr. Dec, “Students are encouraged to bolster their visual spatial modalities and think about things in new ways. It is an extraordinary resource.” Marymount alumna Carla Diana '85, herself an industrial and interaction designer, remarked of the Fab Lab, “The Fab Lab gives students opportunities to work with their hands and build things, while also giving them a contemporary awareness of new technologies and current prototyping techniques.”
The Fab Lab has complemented Marymount's existing academic program by providing a space for students to explore the design process of problem solving including the steps of discovery, interpretation, ideation, experimentation, and evolution. Learning is self-directed as students are encouraged to identify challenges and then take steps to create solutions to those challenges. Headmistress Alvar remarked, “When teaching and learning follows this model, students develop new habits of mind as well as the creative confidence to tackle seemingly intractable problems.” In so many ways, the Fab Lab is preparing its students for their future and at Marymount that future is now.
For more information about Marymount's Fab Lab, contact Kimberly Field-Marvin, Director of Communications, 212.744.4486, extension 8183.
Kimberly Field-Marvin
Director of Communications
Marymount School of New York
1026 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10028
212.744.4486, ext. 8183
kfield-marvin@marymountnyc.org

Notre Dame Golf Event Benefits Grace Academy

The Notre Club of Greater Hartford hosted their seventh annual golf tournament at Tunxis Plantation Golf Club on June 22 for the benefit of Grace Academy. 175 Notre Dame alumni, students, their families along with staff, student and friends of Grace Academy all participated. The event raised over $30,000 for Grace Academy, a tuition-free, middle school for girls from Hartford.

The Notre Club expanded the event to benefit Grace Academy to grow their relationship with Grace and as part of their tradition of serving the community through designated service days and fundraising events that benefit organizations and people of need.

Following an afternoon of golf, additional guests joined spouses and friends for a reception, dinner, auction and dancing to the surf band AquaTudes. Corporate sponsorships and numerous donations from many companies and individuals along with generous bidding on the silent and live auction items, that ranged from dog grooming to excursions overseas, generated the funds which will be used for technology, a new science classroom and extended-day enrichment activities at Grace Academy. Grace Academy is very appreciative of the Notre Dame Club of Greater Hartford’s efforts, their choosing of Grace Academy and supporting their mission to educate underserved girls from Hartford in an intentionally small school environment, emphasizing a holistic academic program that includes an extended-day, -week and mandatory four-week summer school.

New Head of Hewitt's Lower School Sings Praises of Single-Sex Education

This article is from UPPER EAST SIDE — Frank Patti may be the product of a Boston public school education, but his experience as an educator is in New York City's elite private schools.

A former second and fourth grade teacher at the all-boys Collegiate and then the elementary division head of the co-ed Mandell School — both on the Upper West Side — Patti has moved across town this year to a new role as the head of lower school at Hewitt.
The independent school for girls from kindergarten through 12th grade — which has a yearly tuition of $39,400 — has been around for more than 90 years. The elegant townhouse at 3 East 76th St. housing the 182 girls in the lower school’s grades K through 3, has rooms dotted with grand fireplaces and huge wood-paneled windows.
Patti is looking forward to finding a balance between the Hewitt School’s history and “focusing on innovation and the 21st century classroom and making sure that we’re giving the girls everything they deserve,” he said.
Patti, who will receive his master’s in education leadership from the Bank Street College of Education later this year, plans to focus on an integrated curriculum — where topics are carried across different subjects — and on hands-on learning.
“His strong dedication to diversity and integrated curriculum will clearly benefit our community as we work together to complete and implement our strategic plan,” Hewitt’s Head of School Joan Lonergan said.
DNAinfo.com New York talked to Patti about his vision for the lower school.
Q: How did you become an educator?
FP: I started working as a teaching assistant in public schools when I was at Ithaca College in upstate New York. I fell in love with that town and became involved in schools and after-school programs and camps. I stayed in Ithaca a few years after I graduated and worked in a kindergarten classroom and a day camp. This was on the heels of studying psychology and educational psychology and gender studies, which at the time I thought were two very different things. Years later, I realized those two things would merge for me.
Q: How so?
FP: I started working at Collegiate, an all-boys school, and immediately fell in love with single-sex education. The fact that the leaders at the school know boys so well, I was immediately drawn into the world of single-sex education.
Q. What about single-sex education was interesting?
FP: I think it’s the ability of the teachers to really be able to differentiate and focus and zoom in on boys or girls and to really consider learning styles and what’s best for children as learners. Collegiate did such a great job at looking at how boys learn, that after years of being there, I thought, ‘This is it, I was born to teach boys.’
When I ended up at the Mandell School, which is co-ed, after two days, it dawned on me it wasn’t an all-boys education I was in love with, it’s just the single-sex education world. I saw there was another world of girls in the classroom and how they learn and operate.
Q. What are some differences between the way boys and girls learn?
A. Teachers of boys need to understand they learn through doing. It’s OK for boys to move around and that actually boys are in their resting state when they’re actually doing something. I had boys in my classroom at Collegiate who could be rolling around on the carpet. But a good teacher knows they could be completely tuned in. there are many boys who really thrive in that environment.
For girls, they need an environment that allows for us to empower them to use their voices and make their voices stronger. That’s what I started to realize when I was at Mandell and I was watching boys and girls interact. So, after working at Mandell for two years, I thought it was a great next step for me to move on to all-girls as a next phase.
Girls need to move around in the classroom, too. Girls love to build with blocks. Girls love to construct things. We need to make sure we offer that to our girls, as well. Experiential learning is really a part of our strategic plan, so they’re learning through doing as well as listening.
Q. Can you tell me about your own school experiences? Do you have teachers that impacted your life?
FP: I had a teacher who, I think it was eighth grade, exposed us to integration in a way I hadn’t experienced before. It was a humanities class that really mixed nicely history and English. That experience sort of formed who I am as an educator. We’re really pushing to integrate the curriculum at Hewitt across all subject areas.
Q. Can you give me some examples of what Hewitt’s integrated curriculum will look like?
FP: An integrated curriculum is important for kids because it connects the dots for them. So instead of a child exploring a topic in one classroom and walking out and doing something completely different, good planning and good professional development for teachers allows us to connect everything for them. It makes it meaningful for them. It helps them to understand what we’re studying in the context of the real world. Frida Kahlo doesn’t end in art class. We talk about her in social studies, in writing, in geography. We do extra work as teachers to connect the dots.
It’s like when you’re riding the subway and you see another train across the platform you want to connect with and it pulls away. You think, ‘Just one more second and we could have made that connection and it would have been dynamite.’ I think it’s the same thing with teachers. If you don’t stop and take the time to make that connection for the kids, they miss out.
Q: What else will you be focusing on?
FP: Using New York City as a resource. We live in the most amazing city in the world and so many educators, I think, overlook that. We owe it to the girls to get them out of this neighborhood, to show them this amazing city and get it into the curriculum. So for example, in second grade when the girls study New York City, we’re making a push right now to not just talk about Harlem but to actually go there and walk the stage of the Apollo and see some of these places that they’ve talked about in class.
Q. What are some of the big challenges you face in your new job?
FP: When you’re steering a community in a certain direction, it’s challenging to stay true to who you are as an established school while incorporating these new teaching methods. I’m excited about that, too, because I know it’s possible. I know that Hewitt is a school that is deep-rooted in tradition and there’s a soul to it. So I’m excited to hold onto that with the leadership team here and with the faculty, but also layer on best practices in education and layer on top of that new experiences and new ways of thinking of curriculum. It’s a nice balance of who are we as a school and where can we head.

Girls can do math just fine, thank you
Last month, researchers at the University of Texas at Austin released a powerful study titled "Exploring Bias in Math Teachers' Perceptions of Students' Ability by Gender and Race/Ethnicity." Utilizing data from the National Center of Education Statistics, researchers focused on math grades and standardized test scores of 15,000 10th-graders from across the country, as well as survey results from their math teachers. The teachers were asked to rate the level of difficulty in their math classes as too easy, appropriate or too difficult.
The study found that, in spite of standardized test scores and class grades to the contrary, high school math teachers consistently overrated the math abilities of white males while consistently underrating the ability of white girls and minority students of both genders. These findings held even after the study's authors accounted for race, whether the students went to a private or public school, income and education level, geographic region and urbanicity of a school.
The teachers in this study were not new teachers: most had 15 years of experience. Ironically, 55 percent of the students were taught by female math teachers.
Citing the work of Charles and Bradley (2002), the authors of the University of Texas study wrote that the idea that girls aren't as good in math as boys likely persists in spite of data to the contrary "because the idea that men and women are different in this regard is considered natural and not discriminatory."
The prevalence of gender bias against girls even among educators raises an alarming concern: the very real effects of "stereotype threat."
Stereotype threat is a well-documented phenomenon in which a stereotyped group (in this case, girls) actually begins to transform its behavior to conform to negative stereotypes. When girls detect that teachers, parents, friends and society in general believe that girls and women aren't good in math or that math is "for boys," then girls unconsciously lower their performance to meet this expectation.
In other words, gender bias about academic ability does more than hurt a girl's feelings; it actually hurts her performance.
Decades of research, conducted both in classrooms and in laboratory settings, document the negative impact of stereotypes and gender bias on the academic performance and academic self confidence of girls. Minority women may encounter a double jeopardy of stereotype threat related to race and gender.
Stereotype threat in math and science may explain why so many fewer women pursue degrees and careers in the STEM disciplines (science, technology, engineering and math) even as more women graduate from college than men.
Moreover, adult beliefs that girls just aren't as good as boys in STEM subjects may prevent girls from developing the basic confidence and competence that makes degrees and careers in STEM possible. By discouraging girls from excelling in STEM subjects at school we compromise the future of our region and our nation to compete in elite professions like engineering, biotechnology and computer science.
What can be done?
All of us -- educators, parents, employers and mentors -- could start by confronting our own gender biases. Realize that by expecting girls to underperform in math, you may contribute to poor performance. "Girl up" and expect our daughters to excel in and love math, science, robotics, engineering and computing. Model the behavior you expect in your daughters and, if you're female, stop saying, "I'm no good in math." Instead, help your daughters find peer groups where it's safe to be smart. You'll be amazed by their ability to think critically, take risks and solve problems.
Modeling and mentoring likely isn't enough. Due to differences in the sequence and timing of brain development, girls and boys don't necessarily learn things in the same way or at the same time. Differentiated instruction for girls in STEM subjects is worth exploring.
Researchers at Stanford University, the National Association for Single Sex Public Education and the American Association of University Women study stereotype threat and how girls learn. They've found that girls benefit from learning environments that teach that intelligence is not fixed but rather can be developed through practice and risk-taking. They recommend that teachers encourage girls to persist despite obstacles, to embrace challenging subjects and not just the ones that come easiest to them, and to accept criticism as a natural part of the learning process.
At The Ellis School, the all-girls school that I'm privileged to lead, our girls regularly compete and win at the highest levels in math and related STEM fields. Our girls have won international computational math modeling competitions many times. The Girls of Steel robotics team, which includes a dozen Ellis girls, competed and won at 2011 and 2012 regional competitions in Pittsburgh. They won the Innovation in Control awarded in 2012 in Cincinnati and competed for the second year in a row at the international competition in St. Louis. Our faculty will make presentations this summer at a national conference on STEM instruction for girls.
I'm understandably proud of our girls and our faculty, but I offer these examples as evidence that believing girls can't excel in math is simply incorrect. If anything, girls hold themselves to a much higher standard. According to the American Association of University Women, girls believe they have to be better in math and science than boys in order to think of themselves as good in these subjects.
There are dozens of organizations in our region working to support girls and women in STEM. The Girls Math and Science Partnership, Girls of Steel, YWCA TechGYRLS, WQED Multimedia and The Sprout Fund's Spark program -- to name only a few -- have outstanding resources for parents, educators and girls.
Others leading the way include Robert Morris University's Expanding Your Horizons conference, Carnegie Mellon's Entertainment Technology Center and Propel Schools in partnership with CMU and Sima Products.
Together, as parents, educators and role models, we owe it to our daughters to put gender bias behind us and engage girls fully in STEM subjects at school. When we do, our daughters will rise to our expectations and earn leadership positions in fields like medical and scientific research, information technology, and robotics.

Randie Benedict is head of school at The Ellis School in Shadyside (www.theellisschool.org).
First Published May 30, 2012 12:00 am

10th Grade Student at Ann Richards School Qualifies For State Art Competition

At the Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders, all members of the middle school Intermediate and Advanced art classes participated in the Junior Visual Arts Scholastic Event (VASE) State Level Competition in Bryan, TX. Tenth grade student Celeste was the first ever State qualifier from the Ann Richards School and her art piece, "Eight", received a Superior rating-the highest rating given. Celeste returned to Austin where she and her fabulous art work were recognized by the AISD Board of Tru...

tees. Congratulations to Celeste!

Ellis School Art Students Win An Unprecedented Four Scholastic Art Awards

(Pittsburgh, PA) May 2, 2012
Four students at The Ellis School have earned national recognition in The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards of 2012, presented by the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers. All awards were for visual art and photography. Ellis’ four winners are:
· Sophia Sterling-Angus'15 (Shadyside) Gold Medal 5 o'clock Photography
· Lucy Crelli '13 (Squirrel Hi...

l) Silver Medal Self Esteem Drawing
· Charlotte Forsythe '16 (Shadyside) Silver Medal Shredded Tree Photography
· Annie Gordon '15 (Thornburg/Crafton) Silver Medal Black White Sunset Photography
“In a good year, a school might hope for one student to win a national Scholastic Art Award. We have learned that 65 of our girls won regional honors, while four of our girls won national Scholastic Art honors. This level of national recognition is nearly unheard of, especially for a school of our size, and speaks to the excellence of the Ellis arts faculty,” said Randie Benedict, Head of School at Ellis.
Ellis’ four winners were selected from 200,000 works submitted from schools across the country. Only the top 1,500 receive national recognition and are invited to the ceremony at Carnegie Hall in New York City taking place June 1, 2012. Past Scholastic winners include Andy Warhol, Sylvia Plath, and Richard Avedon. More information about the Scholastic Art Awards is available online at http://www.artandwriting.org/Awards
About The Ellis School
The Ellis School is Pittsburgh’s only age 3 to grade 12 independent school for girls. An Ellis School education prepares girls and young women to excel, to lead, and to inspire others. Ellis girls are critical thinkers and intellectual risk takers. To learn more about the benefits of an Ellis School education visit www.TheEllisSchool.org .
Kitty Julian | Director of Marketing & Communications
The Ellis School | 6425 Fifth Avenue | Pittsburgh, PA 15206
p. 412-661-5992 x192 | f. 412-661-2287 | juliank@TheEllisSchool.org

Southfield School Celebrates its 20th Anniversary

Southfield School celebrated its 20th Anniversary on May 18-19 with a gala dinner for 300 and a family festival for the entire community. The keynote speaker for the evening event was Connie Chow, a noted educator committed to social justice and science education for young women. Dr. Chow is the Executive Director of Science Club for Girls, a non-profit organization that offers girls from K-Grade 12 the opportunity to get involved in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) ac...

ivities through girl-specific programs in underserved communities. Now operating in five cities in Massachusetts and overseas in Ghana, Science Club for Girls is a nationally-recognized leader in gender and after-school education. Southfield School offers girls in Pre-K through Class 12 a classical education on a 36-acre campus in Brookline, MA that is shared with the Dexter School (for boys).
For more information, please contact Clare Martin at 617-928-7680 or cmartin@southfield.org

Stuart Girls Win Top Honors in National STEM Video Game Competition

PRINCETON, NJ, May 23, 2012 – Stuart Country Day School of the Sacred Heart, recognized for its bold and innovative approach to all-girls education, announced today that two teams of Stuart eighth grade are winners in the 2012 National STEM Video Game Challenge.
The winning Stuart team members include: Julia Weingaertner, Sarah Lippman, Chloe Mario, Madeleine Lapuerta and Emma Froehlich. They are among the 28 middle and high school students from ...

cross the U.S. who were selected as winners for their original game designs. The Stuart students are the only girls to receive awards.
[caption id="attachment_3067" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="From left to right, Stuart Country Day School of the Sacred Heart Grade 8 students Julia Weingaertner (West Windsor), Sarah Lippman (Pennington), computer science teacher Alisha Testa, Madeleine Lapuerta (Montgomery), Chloe Mario (Princeton), and Emma Froelich (Montgomery) at the National STEM Video Game Challenge Youth Winners Celebration at the Smithsonian American Art Museum on Monday, May 21. The students were members of the two all-girl teams (and the only girl winners) who designed and developed winning video games for the PBS KIDS Ready to Learn Category of the STEM Challenge."][/caption]

Stuart will honor the winners at an all-school event at Stuart on Thursday, May 24th at 8:30AM.

Mr. Brian Aslspach, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Gamestar Mechanic at E-Line Media, one of the National STEM Challenge presenting companies, will be at Stuart to congratulate the students on Thursday.
Both teams were awarded prizes in the PBS KIDS Ready to Learn Category of the National STEM Video Game Challenge. This annual competition seeks to motivate interest in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) learning by tapping into students’ natural passion for playing and making video games. The competition is inspired by President Barack Obama's Educate to Innovate campaign to promote STEM education.
Seventeen games created by individuals and teams of students, in eight subcategories, were selected as winners of the Middle School and High School Categories from a group of more than 3700 entries.
The girls from Stuart Country Day School of the Sacred Heart designed and programmed their video games as part of the required coursework in their Grade 8 Computer Science class with instructor Alicia Testa.
“In January when we started this project, the girls had no computer programming experience. They faced a steep learning curve from the beginning; not only did they rise to the occasion – they surpassed all expectations,” said Ms. Testa. “Working in groups of two or three, by the end of the trimester, 10 completed video games were submitted to the Challenge.”
“In addition to computer programming, this project required important 21st century skills such as collaboration, communication, planning and problem solving,” said Dr. Patty L. Fagin, head of school at Stuart. “Research tells us that these girl-centric skills are invaluable to careers in STEM fields; including developing video games, a field dominated by men.”
Dr. Fagin continued to say, “We are very proud of the work all eighth grade students put into the National STEM Challenge. In the end, they all realized that hard work and perseverance yields results. It is icing on the cake that not just one, but two all-girl Stuart teams received national recognition for their creativity and ingenuity.”
Under the leadership of Dr. Fagin, Stuart has focused on elevating STEM education, beginning at the earliest grades, to show girls that science, technology, engineering and math can be fun and can open doorways to countless opportunities. The School strives for every graduate to comfortable and confident in basic STEM skills, or ready to pursue a career in a STEM field if she chooses. In January of this year Stuart announced the formation of a STEM Advisory Task Force made up of some of the nations leading thinkers to help conquer the so-called “girl gap” in the science, technology, engineering and math disciplines.
Miss Weingaertner, of West Windsor, and Miss Lippman, of Pennington, worked together to design and create a video game called “Animal Inequities” which uses animated sharks and fish to teach the math concepts of greater than and less than.
Miss Lapuerta of Montgomery, Miss Mario, of Princeton, and Miss Froehlich, of Montgomery, developed “Math Racing Mania” in which plays get to choose a cool racing car to drive through roads with the correct answers to math problems on the screen.
The Stuart students and their teacher Ms. Testa, traveled to Washington D.C. where they were honored Monday at an event sponsored by Microsoft at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Each winner was awarded an AMD based laptop computer, travel to and from Washington DC, and subscriptions to Brain Pop magazine and Gamestar Mechanic. Each team will also be awarded $2,000 for their school.
About Stuart: As the only all girls school in Princeton, New Jersey, Stuart Country Day School of the Sacred Heart is uniquely positioned to provide an environment where girls put academics first, are willing and able to take risks, and explore every opportunity. Stuart offers a challenging and innovative curriculum, superb teaching, and individualized attention grounded in the Sacred Heart Goals. Celebrating 48 years, Stuart enrolls girls in Kindergarten – Grade 12 and has a co-ed Pre-School and Junior Kindergarten program. Stuart is part of an international community of Sacred Heart schools and is an independent Catholic school that embraces students of all faiths and backgrounds, helping them to become accomplished and committed leaders with the confidence and passion for justice to transform the world.
For high resolution photo or for more information on the event at Stuart on Thursday, May 24, 2012, contact Risa Engel at rengel@stuartschool.org or 609-921-2330 x253.

Roland Park Country School Demonstrates Its Commitment To The Environment

From The Baltimore Sun, April 26, 2012, "Roland Park Country School highlights its partial conversion to solar energy"
In an effort to "shine a light on solar energy," Roland Park Country School staged a "Solarbration" on April 22 to pay tribute to Earth Day and the school's own stewardship of the environment.
"We celebrated our partial conversion to solar energy and the importance of renewable energy in protecting our own health and the health of all living things," school spokeswoman Nancy Mugele said.
For more than a decade, Roland Park Country School has been looking for ways to increase and improve environmental sustainability, Mugele said. The school became a Maryland Green School in 2003, and a member of the Green Schools Alliance in 2008 at the Climate Steward Level.
Since then, Roland Park Country has lowered its total greenhouse gas emissions by 10 percent as it works to reduce its carbon footprint, Mugele said.
During the 2010-2011 school year, students researched and developed a proposal for a solar photovoltaic array, working with teacher Martha Barss. The school has now installed a 35.88 kilowatt photovoltaic solar array of 156 panels on the roof of the lower school, a project funded with a grant from the Lockhart Vaughan Foundation. The array is expected to generate about 1 percent of the school's electricity in its first year and offset almost 45,000 pound
Story found at http://www.baltimoresun.com/explore/baltimorecounty/news/community/ph-ms-solarbration-05-03-20120426,0,5379202.story

Saint Mary's School Names 13th Head of School

RALEIGH, NC – Saint Mary’s School Board of Trustees Chairman William G. Taylor of Charlotte announced today to an assembly of students, faculty and staff in Pittman Auditorium, that Monica M. Gillespie, Ph.D., has been named the 13th head of Saint Mary’s School in its 170-year history, effective July 1, 2012.
Dr. Gillespie earned B.A., M.Ed. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Virginia, with her doctoral dissertation focused on independent s...

hool leadership. As an undergraduate at Virginia, she played varsity soccer, lettering all four years. She currently serves on the board of the National Association of Episcopal Schools (NAES) and the board of Goucher College. For the last six years, Dr. Gillespie has served as the head of school at St. Paul’s School for Girls (SPSG), an Episcopal all-girls school outside Baltimore. Prior to serving St. Paul’s School for Girls, she was, for three years, head of school at St. Luke’s Lutheran School in Culpeper, Virginia. Earlier in her career, for a total of eight years, she taught, coached, advised, and served in the residential communities at two single-sex boarding schools, Westover School in Connecticut and Woodberry Forest School in Virginia.
“Monica brings to Saint Mary’s nine years of head of school experience, a passion for educating girls, deep appreciation for the Episcopal heritage of Saint Mary’s School, and a distinguished background in education,” says William G. Taylor of Charlotte, chair of the board of trustees and chair of the head of school search committee. “We believe that she is the right person to succeed Theo Coonrod and to successfully lead Saint Mary’s in the years ahead. She will be both an exemplary leader and a remarkable role model for our students.”
Dr. Gillespie will begin her term at Saint Mary’s on July 1, 2012, obviating the interim headship previously announced. The Rev. Dr. Smokey Oats, who had been appointed interim head while the search continued, will continue to serve the school as a member of the board of trustees. The current and 12th head of school, Theo Coonrod, who has served with distinction since 2000, will retire at the end of June.
Dr. Gillespie will reside on Saint Mary’s historic campus with her husband, John Gillespie, and their children.
“I am deeply honored and profoundly humbled to have the opportunity to serve the students, faculty, staff, alumnae, parents, trustees and friends of Saint Mary’s as head of school,” says Dr. Gillespie. “I have been inspired by the school community’s shared commitment to Saint Mary’s core values. Excellence in teaching and learning are apparent when entering each classroom and speaking with students and faculty. The school’s emphasis on personal achievement in mind, body and spirit supports the students holistically. I believe the dynamic combination of Saint Mary’s students and its talented educators creates the ideal environment for girls. The school’s 170-year heritage is rich in tradition, Episcopal values and opportunity for women.”
About Saint Mary’s School:
Saint Mary's School in Raleigh, N.C., is an independent, Episcopal, college-preparatory, boarding and day school dedicated to academic excellence and personal achievement for girls in grades 9-12. Founded in 1842, Saint Mary’s is the fourth-oldest girls boarding and day school in the nation.

-30-

Mary Virginia Swain '77C
Director of Development Communications
Saint Mary's School
919.424.4034 | www.sms.edu <www.sms.edu>
Saint Mary's School is an independent, Episcopal, college-preparatory, boarding and day school dedicated to academic excellence and personal achievement for girls in grades 9-12.

The Ellis School Girls Part of Award-Winning Robotics Team

Congratulations to the Girls of Steel robotics team, mentored at the Field Robotics Center of CMU, for taking home four awards at the March 6-9 FIRST Robotics Pittsburgh regional competition.
Girls of Steel, a 60-member all-girl robotics team, competed against 44 other teams and qualified for the National competition taking place April 26 - 28 in St. Louis. The Ellis School has 12 girls—more than from any other school—on Girls of St...

el team. Ellis, known for its rigorous math and science programs, is Pittsburgh’s only independent school for girls ages 3 to grade 12. At the Pittsburgh regional competition, Girls of Steel won:

The Engineering Inspiration Award, which celebrates a team’s outstanding efforts in advancing respect and appreciation for engineering and engineers, both within their school as well as their community.

Volunteer of the Year Award was shared by George Kantor, Ph.D. of Carnegie Mellon University; Theresa Richards, Ph.D., of The Ellis School; and Gregory Young, engineer/parent; The three serve as mentors to Girls of Steel and share Volunteer of the Year for organizing the use of The Ellis School Armory as a robotics practice field for all regional FIRST robotics teams.

Girls of Steel team member Jaden Barney, a student at Pennsylvania Leadership Charter School - University Scholars Program, won the FIRST Dean's List Finalist Award, which celebrates outstanding student leaders whose passion for and effectiveness at attaining FIRST ideals is exemplary.

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The Talkington Destination Imagination team, from the Talkington School for Young Women Leaders, won first place at the regional tournament and will compete at the State level in Corpus Christi. They also received the Renaissance Award, given to the team who demonstrates extraordinary skill in engineering, design or performance.
Destination Imagination is an educational program where student teams are tested to think on their feet, work together and devise original solutions that satisfy the requirements of the Challenges. The teams must identify a real community need, create an advertisement and marketing brochure, and share their project in an entertaining live presentation at the regional tournament.
The Talkington team chose the rescue and rehabilitation of abused and neglected horses as their community need and began volunteering at the Easy R Equine Rescue. The girls cleaned stalls, painted hay bale feeders, and learned how to groom, feed, and put lead ropes on the horses. They also assisted with Horse Play, a program where children with medical problems ride horses for therapy and fun. The money raised by the team was matched by a private organization and was donated to help the Easy R reach their $25,000 goal. The team’s advertisement and brochure are being used to promote Easy R Equine rescue on facebook and around the community. In the words of a DI team member “Destination Imagination has given us a whole new perspective on volunteering. We had no idea there was a need to rescue horses or what they would need to be rescued from. We now know things that we never would have known had we not started this journey, and we are looking forward to many more Saturdays at the Easy R Equine Rescue. “

7 Students from NCGS Schools Are National Award Runners-Up for NCWIT Aspirations in Computing Award

NCGS wants to congratulate the seven young women from NCGS schools who were National Runners-Up in the National Council on Women & Information Technology (NCWIT) Award for Aspirations in Computing. The Award for Aspirations in Computing honors young women at the high-school level for their computing-related achievements and interests. Awardees are selected for their computing and IT aptitude, leadership ability, academic history, and p...

Foxcroft Celebrates Next Generation of Women Leaders in Science, Technology Engineering and Math

Middleburg, VA (PRWEB) February 23, 2012
Foxcroft School students were recognized this week for winning the individual team and school championships at Expedition K2M: the STEM Summit, a challenging all-girls competition held on Foxcroft’s campus Saturday.
At an all-school meeting Monday, Foxcroft’s Head of School, Mary Louise Leipheimer, congratulated the winners, their fellow participants, and the School’s high-powered Math a...

d Science faculty for organizing an outstanding event. “What these girls can do in the STEM fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Science is amazing,” Leipheimer said. “I don’t know when I’ve been so proud of our School for its leadership, creativity, and entrepreneurial” spirit.
Expedition K2M: The STEM Summit attracted a breadth of talented students from Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, DC, with 19 high school and 12 middle school teams participating in the all-day competition. Norwood School of Bethesda, MD, won the middle school competition.
At the STEM Summit, girls worked in teams of 3 or 4 to solve problems that draw on STEM skills. Challenges included engineering a brick wall with the longest possible overhang, mixing chemical solutions to identify each element, solving a genetics problem called “Who’s Your Daddy?” and conquering tricky logic problems. The middle school competition also included a forensics exercise that involved analyzing fingerprints and fiber samples.
The event was sponsored by K2M, Inc., a Leesburg, VA firm that develops technological innovations for surgeons to treat the world's most complex spinal disorders. Two of the company’s young engineers conducted one of the STEM Summit events, and CEO Eric Major came to watch.
“We were so impressed with the energy, enthusiasm and intellectual curiosity of the Foxcroft girls who visited our lab last spring,” said Major, referring to a field trip by the School’s Engineering and AP Biology classes to learn about K2M innovative engineering, “So we thought partnering with Foxcroft to sponsor this event made a lot of sense.”
Foxcroft’s leadership in STEM education was a prime motivator for creating the event. “Providing an environment that combines the use of academic skills to solve exciting real-world with competition in a team setting can be powerfully motivating,” said Foxcroft’s Science Department Chair, Dr. Maria Eagen, who holds a PhD in Aerospace Engineering Sciences. “By offering this event every year, we hope that participating schools will develop programs that help their students be more competitive. Ultimately, we hope that it will foster a life-long love of the STEM fields.”
The high school Summit concluded with a luncheon at which medals and other prizes were awarded to the champion “Derivative” team comprised of Foxcroft seniors Chloe Jung, Cindy Li, and Hazel Yan and junior Lexy Lu. Team Derivative won two individual events and was the top-scoring team overall by a large margin. Foxcroft also took home the trophy for winning the school competition. .
The Incomplete Dominators, a team from Loudoun Valley High School (Purcellville, VA) placed second while Middleburg Academy’s Zephyr team and the Nova entry from Madeira School (McLean, VA) tied for third. Nova also won an individual event, as did another Foxcroft team comprised of junior Olivia Saez and sophomores Melody Kabbai and Alicia Gordon.
In the afternoon, Norwood School’s “Dimension” team took first overall among 12 middle school. Loudoun Country Day’s “Pi” team placed second, while third went to Immanuel Christian’s “Mitosis” entry. All day, individuals could answer questions and problems to qualify for a drawing of fantastic gifts ranging from movie tickets, iTunes, and a massage to a flip camera, electronic tablet, and a Kindle touch.
Founded in 1914, Foxcroft School is a college-preparatory boarding and day school for girls in grades 9-12. The school is located on 500 acres in Middleburg, Virginia, 50 miles west of Washington, D.C. It is accredited by the Virginia Association of Independent Schools and is a member of The Association of Boarding Schools, National Association of Independent Schools, and National Coalition of Girls Schools.
Posting comes from http://www.prweb.com/releases/2012/2/prweb9220384.htm

We are pleased to announce the selection of Tricia Davol and Bridgette McGoldrick as the 2012 Cannady Visiting Teachers to the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy in South Africa. Tricia serves as Associate Director of Admission and Director of International Outreach at Miss Porter's School in Farmington, Connecticut and formerly taught Spanish there. Bridgette teaches history, Global Cultures, and World Religions at Annie Wright School in Tacoma, Washington.
The selection committee was once aga...

n impressed with the superb field of applicants, which included outstanding teachers who represent the experience, expertise, and wisdom of practice found in the strongest schools. We read the applications with care and discussed at length the contributions that each might bring to the Academy.
We are delighted that so many teachers from the National Coalition of Girls’ Schools are clearly able to hit the ground running and fashion a productive experience for Leadership Academy teachers.
Thank you for your interest in this program and for your patience with our long process.
Joan Countryman
Rachel Countryman
Caroline Borrow, Cannady Fellow 2010
Beatrice Swift, Cannady Fellow 2010
Contact:
Joan Countryman
118 Benefit Street
Providence, RI 02903
401 274 0776

Peace and Reconciliation at Forest Ridge School of the Sacred Heart

Forest Ridge has completed it’s second year of a new leadership program: Peace and Reconciliation – the Holy Land. It is a year- long elective course for credit with a signature 10 day experience in Israel and Palestine. The vision of the program is to empower students to find real world solutions to peace through dialogue, non- violent communication, reflection, cultural immersion, homestays and one- to- one relationships. The program is open to any acad...

mically qualified student in grades 10 through 12 who is committed to collaborative learning and the experience of engaging in travel to the Holy Land. While in-country the students meet with experts in the fields of history, peace -building, theology and political activism. They also immerse themselves in both the Israeli Jewish culture and the Arab culture and learning about each through peer to peer encounters.

Young Women's Leadership Charter School of ChicagoBoard Member, Dr. Teresa Woodruff, who is the Thomas J. Watkins Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine, founded the Women's Health Science Program for High School Girls and Beyond (WHSP) program. Because of her and her team's work in mentoring YWLCS' high school girls for college and careers in science and health, Dr. Woodruff and her team received the pr...

stigious Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring from President Barack Obama this past Monday!
"We're delighted that President Obama recognized the impact of mentoring the next generation of female scientists and leaders and are humbled by the recognition of this award," said Teresa Woodruff, Ph.D. "By helping women and girls we can help change the world."
YWLCS is fortunate that for the past five years, Dr. Woodruff's program has exposed its high school students to hands-on science opportunities at Northwestern University. YWLCS students are mentored by Northwestern graduate students, medical students and other science and medical professionals, and learn about career options in reproductive science, cancer biology and oncofertility (the preservation of the fertility of young men, women and children whose treatment of cancer or other serious diseases is fertility-threatening). Congratulations to Dr. Woodruff and her team for their special recognition from the White House! For more information about students' participation in WHSP and the good work done by Dr. Woodruff and her team, please click here.

Maranyundo Girls School in Rwanda Ranks Second in National Exam Scores

NCGS member Maranyundo Girls School in Nyamata, Rwanda, has just received its national exam scores for the graduating 9th grade class. The school came in second place among all schools in the country and first place among girls' schools; and the top student among all the exam-takers (boys and girls) was a Maranyundo girl. Congratulations on such an impressive outcome and a fitting reward for the dedication and hard work on the part of the Maranyundo facul...

y and, of course, all the graduating girls!

Former First Lady Laura W. Bush to be Keynote Speaker at the Louise S. McGehee School's Centennial Celebration

NCGS congratulates the Louise S. McGehee School on the occasion of its Centennial Founder’s Day celebration on March 23, 2012. Former First Lady Laura W. Bush will be the keynote speaker at the celebration.
Founder’s Day is one of the most important occasions in the life of the school. Celebrated by McGehee alumnae and students, on this day we honor the founder of the school and her enduring mission. Mrs. Bush’s remarks will be delivered at an asse...

bly that recognizes distinguished alumnae, citizens, the Jane Pharr Gage Community Service Award, faculty, as well as the presentation of the Senior Class Gift. The first Founder’s Day was held in March 1935, one year after the death of Miss McGehee.
Mrs. Bush has a longstanding commitment to New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. Following Hurricane Katrina, Mrs. Bush visited New Orleans over 25 times. Through the Laura Bush Foundation for America’s Libraries, more than $5.7 million was provided to school libraries in the Gulf Coast region to rebuild their library book collections that were lost or destroyed.
Born in Midland, Texas to Harold and Jenna Welch, Mrs. Bush holds a degree in education with a master’s degree in library science. She taught in public schools in Dallas, Houston and Austin, as well as worked as a public school librarian. In 1977 she met and married George Walker Bush. They are the parents of twin daughters, Barbara and Jenna.
Mrs. Bush is actively involved in issues of national and global concerns, with a particular emphasis on education, health care and human rights. She has investigated and showcased successful programs for early childhood education, at-risk youth, global literacy, and preservation of our national parks and our country’s national treasures. And through her travels to more than 76 countries, including historic trips to Afghanistan, Mrs. Bush has helped launch groundbreaking educational and healthcare programs for women.
McGehee was founded in 1912 by Louise Schaumberg McGehee. Opening a college preparatory school for girls in 1912, she defied the conventional wisdom of her day that women could not handle the rigors of aneducation equal to their male counterparts. From its inception to today, the mission of Miss McGehee’s school has been to provide a rigorous college-preparatory education to girls in an inclusive environment which fosters self-esteem, encourages high personal standards, addresses individual student needs and emphasizes active student participation in the learning process. Stressing honor, service and leadership, the Louise S. McGehee School has a long history of service to the community and has been nationally recognized for its service learning program, including our strong efforts in literacy.
Media wishing to cover the event must provide security clearance information to McGehee. For more information, contact Kristen Dry, Director of Marketing, Louise S. McGehee School, 2343 Prytania Street, New Orleans, LA 70130, 504-274-4916 or kristend@mcgeheeschool.com

NCGS Co-Founder Speaks to the Value of Girls' Schools in the Baltimore Sun

On January 23, 2012 in the Baltimore Sun, Whitney Ransome, co-founder of NCGS and current director of the James Center at Garrison Forest Schoo in Owings Mills, MD, wrote the op-ed "The Value Of Girls' Schools." Ransome writes, "... each new study fails to note the mounting quantitative and qualitative evidence documenting the positive outcomes of an all-girls education." For the complete article, click here.

Ellis Team Wins Future City Competition

The Ellis School's team of Middle Schools students won first place honors in the Pittsburgh Regional Future City Competition, sponsored by Carnegie Science Center and the Engineers‚ Society of Western Pennsylvania on Saturday, January 21, 2012.
The team won a trip to the 20th annual Future City National Finals in Washington, D.C., in February, where they will compete with the winners from other regional competitions. Last year Ellis won the regional competition and placed 19th out of 36 ...

chools in the national competition. The Ellis team also won a special award for their use of recycled materials.
Each year, Future City presents themes that highlight a current issue and asks kids to investigate and come up with solutions. Students start with a research essay describing their concept, and then write a City Narrative outlining the key features of their city. Participating students used SimCity 4 Deluxe software to design a virtual Future City model, incorporating their ideas. They then build a physical model using recycled materials at a cost of no more than $100. Students also write brief abstracts describing their city and present and defend their designs before a panel of engineer judges who test the depth of the teams' knowledge.
The challenge this year was to design a renewable green energy source to power a city. The Ellis team focused on Los Angeles, a real city with real pollution problems. The students imagined a future Los Angeles abandoned because of the air pollution and scarce water supply. The city is reborn with the creation of a clean energy source, one that relies on a combination of artificial photosynthesis and hydrogen fuel cells, producing clean energy and clean water as a by-product, which alleviates the water shortage. Ellis was represented by Isabel B., Lauren D., and Gigi N., presenters, and Alma B., Leila R., Emily W., Jordyn T., Quinn W. and Lainey N. Advising the team were teachers Karen Compton and Andrea Christian-Michaels, and volunteer mentor Frank Sidari, an engineer.
The Pittsburgh Regional Future City Competition is presented annually by Carnegie Science Center and the Engineers Society of Western Pennsylvania, and is sponsored in part by Shell Oil Company.

Karen Douse Appointed Academic Dean

The Online School for Girls, a non-profit online school consortium, is happy to announce that Karen Douse has been appointed Academic Dean for the School.
“Karen has been a national leader in independent school education, girls’ education, and education with technology for many years,” said Brad Rathgeber, the Director of the Online School for Girls. ”From STEM education to best practices using technology in the classroom to online education, Karen has consistently led the way for independen...

schools and girls’ schools. She is a true visionary in the field.”
For the past twenty years, Mrs. Douse has been a leader at the Harpeth Hall School in Nashville, Tennessee, serving as the Director of Library and Information Services for the last twelve years. In that role, Mrs. Douse began one of the nation’s first one-to-one laptop programs in the country and started a collaborative, national Think Tank on STEM education for girls.
Mrs. Douse is a past member of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) 21st Century Curriculum/Technology Task Force and is a frequent presenter at national conferences, including NAIS, the National Coalition of Girls’ Schools (NCGS), and the International Society of Technology Educators (ISTE).
“The Online School for Girls has helped to define what a high-quality, student-centered online courses are over the last two years,” said Mrs. Douse. ”I am excited to work with the creative and innovative teachers at the Online School for Girls to continue the efforts of bringing the best of independent, girls’ education online.”

Amy Bean named the new Executive Director of the Foundation for the Education of Young Women

Amy Bean has been named the new Executive Director of the Foundation for the Education of Young Women. Amy has worked with FEYW as Associate Director for over two years and is well positioned to lead the organization through exciting times. The FEYW network now has six schools across the state and serves over 2,000 young women! Amy...

Bean
Ms. Bean’s career is dedicated to bringing positive change to the lives of women and girls by addressing their most pressing issues. Prior to joining FEYW as Associate Director, Ms. Bean served as Venture Center Manager at The Center for Women & Enterprise in Boston, MA. While there, she helped women of all backgrounds to start and grow successful businesses. Amy has also enjoyed international work, and has consulted on microfinance projects in India, Mexico, and Mali. She received a Masters in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School, with a focus on economic development and social entrepreneurship, and a Bachelor of Pharmacy from U.T. Austin.

Hastings Center, Kent Place School embark on pioneering high school bioethics program

Garrison, NY -- The Hastings Center and the Ethics Institute at Kent Place School are joining forces on a pilot project in which a group of high school students will engage in a dynamic, in-depth research and exploration of the use of medicine for human enhancement, a major topic in bioethics.
Selected students from Kent Place School, an independent girls school in Summit, N.J., will research this controversial topic using a modified version of The Hast...

ngs Center's research methodology, which involves bringing together a diverse group of people with a range of perspectives for a careful and respectful investigation of a multifaceted dilemma in bioethics.
"My colleagues and I are regularly amazed by how much can be learned about a difficult bioethics issue by inviting people with a multitude of perspectives to the table to engage in respectful and rigorous discussion and debate," says Josephine Johnston, a codirector of the project and a research scholar at The Hastings Center. "We are excited to work with students and teachers from Kent Place School in modifying our basic approach for the high school setting."
For the pilot project, Kent Place students will research cases related to human enhancement under the mentorship of Hastings Center scholars. Students will present and discuss topics such as cosmetic surgery and performance-enhancing drugs. The results of the project will be presented to parents and community members at a public forum and published on a public Web site.
"Without a doubt, the Hastings Center-Kent Place School project is an exciting opportunity for members of our entire school community," says Karen Rezach, a codirector of the project and director of both the Ethics Institute and of the Middle School at Kent Place. "Our students will be afforded the chance to work one-on-one with some of the finest bioethical research scholars in the world, further develop their ability to articulate a position on a complex issue, and respectfully appreciate the differing points of view of their project colleagues. The greater community will be exposed to biomedical ethics and given the opportunity to broaden their knowledge and perspectives on issues that are most relevant to life in the 21st century."
In addition to providing an intellectually rich and stimulating learning experience for a group of Kent Place School students, the project will explore how The Hastings Center's methodology can be applied more generally as an educational tool in high schools. Using what they learn in this pilot project, Hastings and the Ethics Institute aim to create resources that would allow teachers and students in the United States and elsewhere to use this methodology to investigate a series of bioethics issues.

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The Hastings Center is an independent bioethics research institute founded in 1969 to address ethical, legal, and policy issues in medicine, health, and the life sciences. Much of the Center's research is in three broad areas: care and decision making at the end of life, public health priorities, and new and emerging technologies.
The Ethics Institute at Kent Place School, founded in 2007, fosters the study of ethics and ethical decision-making in primary and secondary school communities and provides ethics resources and programs to Kent Place constituents, independent schools, private schools, public schools and the greater community.

Jane Foley Fried named new Head of School at Brearley

From the New York Times, December 14, 2011:
The Brearley School, an all-girls private school on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, named a new head of school on Wednesday, capping a six-month search that involved 100 candidates. The announcement was in a letter to Brearley community families.
Jane Foley Fried, the dean of admission and assistant head for enrollment, research and planning at Phillips Academy in Andover, Mass., will be Brearley’s 15th head of school. Her appointment comes a...

a time when private school admissions are increasingly cutthroat and costs are soaring.
“She brings a wealth of experience at an extraordinary institution,” said Alan K. Jones, president of the Brearley board of trustees. “As we did our reference-checking and our research, we found time and again she has been transformative in students’ lives and in helping faculty and administrators at Andover.”
Stephanie J. Hull, the last head of school, resigned abruptly last summer. Priscilla Winn Barlow, a former Brearley head, has been serving as interim head and will remain in place through the end of the current school year.
Ms. Fried graduated from Bowdoin College in 1983 with a bachelor’s degree in history and philosophy. In 2002 she received a master’s in education from Tufts University, where she wrote her thesis on girls’ perceptions of leadership.
She began her career in private education as a history teacher and house counselor at Suffield Academy in Connecticut.
In her biography on the Andover Web site, Ms. Fried said she was attracted to boarding school life because she could teach, coach field hockey and lacrosse, and be a girls’ dorm leader. “I loved the boarding school environment and decided to stay in education,” she said.
After a stint at Dana Hall School in Wellesley, Mass., Ms. Fried arrived at Andover 19 years ago. The letter sent to the Brearley community said her research interests there included the composition of the student body, and the performance in math and science of underrepresented students.
“There is tons of pressure for legacies at a place like Andover, and she made sure there was room for diversity and financial aid,” said Brother Brian Carty, head of the De La Salle Academy in Manhattan, which has sent some of its students to Andover.
The letter to Brearley community members also highlighted Ms. Fried’s fund-raising prowess at Andover. “She is a frequent spokesperson for its development office, specifically for Phillips Academy’s current $72 million financial aid fund-raising effort,” the letter said.
A version of this article appeared in print on December 15, 2011, on page A35 of the New York edition with the headline: New Leader For Brearley Is Announced.

Ursuline Academy of Dallas Announces New President

Ursuline Academy of Dallas is pleased to announce that Gretchen Z. Kane will become the next President of Ursuline Academy, effective July 1, 2012. She will succeed Sister Margaret Ann Moser, O.S.U., who retires at the end of the current school year, when she will assume a new role as President Emerita. Ms. Kane has served as President of Ursuline Academy in New Orleans since 2004.
Please click the link below to view the full announcement:
http://communications.ursulinedallas.org/emails/notices/2011/new_president.html

The Nightingale-Bamford School Head asks "What's Happening to Our Girls?"

This article originally appeared in the Nighthawk, the monthly newsletter for The Nightingale-Bamford School and was written by Head of School Dorothy A. Hutcheson:
Princeton University President Shirley Tilghman recently shared a shocking problem her university faces: despite a 50-50 ratio of undergraduate men and women, there are enormous disparities between men and women in visible positions of ...

tudent leadership on campus.
President Tilghman was the keynote speaker at the centennial conference of the Head Mistresses Association of the East—an organization of over 100 heads of both single-sex and coed schools who are committed to the education of girls—that I attended last month. (Former Nightingale trustee and past parent Anna Quindlen and current trustee and Barnard President Debora Spar were also among the distinguished speakers.)
She went on to say that undergraduate women were winning fewer prestigious academic awards and postgraduate fellowships. With the 40th anniversary of coeducation at Princeton looming, Tilghman was determined to get to the root of the problem. Thus, she convened a steering committee chaired by Nan Keohane, the former president of Duke (who had also researched the performance and attitudes of female students at Duke), to study the issue and make recommendations for change. If you are interested, the complete committee report is available at http://www.princeton.edu/reports/2011/leadership/
Although the percentage of women in high-profile student leadership positions on Princeton's campus had been rising throughout the 70s, 80s, and 90s, the number began to decline from 2000 onward; the same was true for prize-winners. (She did note with pride that in 1975, both the Princeton valedictorian and salutatorian were women—I am proud to report that those two women were graduates of Nightingale!) In its research, the committee discovered that "although some [undergraduate] women do run for elected office, many choose less visible jobs behind the scenes," and, shockingly in 2011, some reported that they got "the message from peers that such posts are more appropriately sought by men." Women were more often the secretaries of their class or of high-profile clubs, and according to both men and women, the essential tasks needed to keep the groups running fell more often to women. Further, women consistently "undersell themselves," a tendency that one alumna described as "the intensity of self-effacement." It sounded to me like an age-old problem: women do most of the work and take little of the credit. (It’s ironic that this undergraduate problem persists at a university where the president and most of her leadership team are women.)
What's going on? It's important to note that this problem is not confined to Princeton; President Tilghman is just one of the few presidents honest enough to speak about it. In fact, at Duke University, President Keohane found in 2002 that, for undergraduates, "being cute trumps being smart for women in the social environment," and that women suffered from what was termed "effortless perfectionism": be beautiful, smart, and athletic, and make it all look like it took no effort! As I noted in a 2003 Nighthawk article about President Keohane's findings, female undergraduates spoke openly of the pressure to look good and the expectation that they "hide their intelligence in order to succeed with their male peers." Perhaps most telling was that "graduates of the former Woman's College at Duke University, which merged with the men's college in 1972, reported more personal confidence than their younger peers." Duke women felt better about themselves when the all-women's experience was the norm! To me this was another powerful argument for single-sex education.
What did Princeton's steering committee recommend? First, restructuring orientation to include more upper-class students with the goal of building more immediate connections for the first-years. Secondly, and most importantly, the committee proposed to strengthen both faculty and peer mentoring programs to encourage more women; those who were successful in winning Fulbright or Rhodes scholarships, for example, reported the importance of a faculty member encouraging them towards a goal that they would not have set by themselves.
If I had been on the task force, I would have also recommended that Princeton establish all-women's dorms where older students can naturally mentor younger ones. The importance of a "room of one's own," as Virginia Woolf called it at the beginning of the 20th century, is still necessary to combat gender stereotypes.
All of this reminds me how important a school like Nightingale is. Our single-sex environment allows girls to develop into confident and bold young women. Faculty and staff encourage our girls to undertake scientific research, to apply for prestigious awards, and to stretch themselves both academically and otherwise. The personalized support we provide ensures that our girls are ready and eager to tackle the world ahead of them. As our mission statement says: our commitment to the success of every girl is absolute.
So while President Tilghman’s findings are difficult to hear in 2011, I look around every day at the schoolhouse and see young women with uncommon drive, confidence, and knowledge. They know what we all know: Nightingale girls don’t just lead the show, they are the show.
—Dorothy A. Hutcheson, Head of School

The Hockaday School Announces Randal Rhodus as New Head of Lower School

The Hockaday School announces the appointment of one of their own–Randal Rauscher Rhodus–Hockaday Alumna Class of 1997 and Lower School teacher, as Head of Lower School effective
2012-2013.
After graduating from Hockaday, Rhodus earned a B.A. in Spanish, B.A. in Comparative Area Studies, and Elementary Education Certification from Duke University. She subsequently earned her M.A. in Reading from Columbia University Teachers College in New York. While at Hockaday, Randal played varsity field ...

ockey and golf, served as class president, and was a recipient of the Founder’s Day Award, the Idanelle McMurry Headmistress Award, and the Sudie Duncan Citizenship Award.
Rhodus spent the last nine years teaching in Hockaday’s Lower School. While at Hockaday, she has served on the Board of Trustees, Lower School Admissions Committee, and the Load and Compensation Committee. She also served as the Lower School Social Studies Curriculum Coordinator and the Director of the Creative Arts Camp. Prior to coming to Hockaday, Rhodus taught first grade at The Brearley School in New York, elementary Spanish at Triangle Day Elementary in Durham, NC, and was a fellow with the Interschool Teaching Fellow Program in New York.
Eugene McDermott Headmistress, Kim Wargo stated, “Building and supporting a fantastic leadership team, faculty, and staff is one of the greatest responsibilities in being a Head of School. As I entered this first year at Hockaday, I have discovered that I am fortunate indeed to work with an exceptional group of dedicated and inspiring administrators, teachers, and staff members. Thus, it comes as no surprise to me that after a national search for our next Lower School Head, Randal emerged as the obvious choice in a pool of exceptional educators.”
Randal’s vision for the Lower School is one that embraces Hockaday traditions while leaning forward into the challenges of 21st century education. Randal writes, “The Lower School is a place where girls can develop confidence, find their voice, build lifelong friendships, and learn how to become leaders. My goal is to encourage faculty and students to question and explore, to take risks, and to grow while taking on new challenges. I am fortunate to have been taught and guided by incredible teachers and mentors, and I seek to embody many of their qualities and inspire a love of learning in my colleagues and students as well.”
About The Hockaday School
The Hockaday School is an independent, college preparatory day and boarding school for girls. From Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 12, we prepare bright and engaging girls to define their place in the world. Ranked among the country’s finest college preparatory schools, Hockaday was founded almost a century ago and continues today to build on its original Four Cornerstones: Character, Courtesy, Scholarship and Athletics. To learn more about how Hockaday inspires bright girls to lead brilliant lives, visit The Hockaday School Web site at www.hockaday.org.

Ann Healy, Headmistress of Roland Park Country School

Anne Healy, a visionary educator who as headmistress led the way in integrating Roland Park Country School and oversaw its transition into the computer age, died Wednesday afternoon of post-polio s...

ndrome at Gilchrist Hospice Care in Towson.
The Guilford resident was 97.
"Inclusion, technology and academics were always at the top of her mind," said Jean Waller Brune, who was a member of the RPCS Class of 1960 and has been head of the school since 1992. "She was a remarkable woman, educator and leader who always had great humility in her heart."
A native New Englander, Miss Healy was born and raised in Windsor Locks, Conn. When she was 3, she was stricken with the paralytic polio that later returned and claimed her life.
She was 12 when she left home and enrolled at Dana Hall School in Wellesley, Mass. She earned her bachelor's degree in 1935 from Wellesley College and a master's degree from Middlebury College in Vermont.
Miss Healy did additional graduate work at Columbia University and at Trinity College in England.
In a 1969 interview, Miss Healy explained why she chose a career in education over that of being a pianist.
"Well, I was going to be a pianist, but by the time I got to college, I changed my mind. Then in 1950 I had to make a decision between teaching in a college or a girls school," she said.
To read the remainder of Ann Healy's obituary, which appears in the Baltimore Sun, go to http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/obituaries/bs-md-ob-anne-healy-20111110,0,3890761.story?page=1

Porter's Alumna Presents Award to Oprah Winfrey

Recent Miss Porter's School graduate Ayanna Hall '11 presented Oprah Winfrey with the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences 2011 Governors Awards dinner, held Saturday, November 12 at the Grand Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland Center. Ayanna, an Oprah Winfrey Scholar alumna, attended Miss Porter's School for three years, graduating in 2011. She was one o...

just 1,000 students selected for the Gates Millennium Scholars program, out of more than 23,000 students who applied. Originally from Harlem, N.Y., Ayanna currently attends Barnard College.
After an introduction by Maria Shriver, Ayanna spoke about the impact Ms. Winfrey has had on her life. She shared, "There is no way that I can thank [Ms. Winfrey] with just words. She put me through high school, allowed me to be the very best me while I was there and to reach for goals that I never thought possible until now." On behalf of the more than 65,000 other students Ms. Winfrey has put through school, Ayanna noted, "The words aren't adequate, Ms. Winfrey, but thank you."
The Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award is given to an "individual in the motion picture industry whose humanitarian efforts have brought credit to the industry." Ms. Winfrey was honored for her dedication to supporting educational initiatives and raising awareness of issues that affect women and children locally and globally, and for her many philanthropic efforts, including Oprah's Angel Network, the Oprah Winfrey Foundation, and the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls (South America).
Located in the center of Farmington, Conn., Porter’s is a college preparatory boarding and day school for girls in grades nine through 12. Founded in 1843 by lifelong scholar and educator, Sarah Porter, the school’s dynamic, rigorous, well-rounded approach to education prepares girls to expand their minds and grow into socially engaged, confident young women. With 333 students hailing from 25 states and representing 27 countries, Porter’s provides a diverse high school experience that helps young women become local and global leaders of the future. For more information about Porter’s, please visit www.porters.org <http://www.porters.org> .

Miss Hall’s School Announces 10th Head of School

PITTSFIELD — Miss Hall’s School announces that Margaret A. Jablonski, Ed.D., Vice President for Student Affairs at the University of New Haven, has been named the School’s tenth Head of School, succeeding Jeannie Norris, who will step down as planned in June.
Dr. Jablonski, who is known as Peggy, has nearly thirty years of teaching and administrative experience in higher education, including senior administrative position...

for student affairs at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Brown University, and the University of Connecticut. She was a visiting assistant professor in the School of Education at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and has been adjunct faculty at Brown University and North Carolina State University, teaching graduate courses in higher education policy, women's issues, leadership theory, and student affairs.
“We are thrilled to introduce Dr. Jablonski as our next Head of School,” said Susan P. O’Day, a member of the MHS Class of 1977 and President of the School’s Board of Trustees. “Dr. Jablonski received the unanimous and enthusiastic support of both the Search Committee and the full Board. Her experience as an educator and administrator, her clear alignment with the School’s values and mission, and the value that she places on girls’ education make her the ideal candidate to lead Miss Hall’s into its next chapter.”
“I am both excited and humbled to be selected to be the next Head of Miss Hall’s School, and I am eager to join the Miss Hall’s community,” said Dr. Jablonski. “My calling is education. My passion is working with young women. Educating girls for leading purposeful lives and having an impact on the world around them and preparing girls for their rightful positions as leaders in society is important to me and it is important to Miss Hall’s School. The School’s mission resonated with my background in working with young women, in leadership development, and in experiential education, and I look forward to being a part of that mission at Miss Hall’s.”
Dr. Jablonski, who will officially begin as Head of School on July 1, 2012, joins the School at an exciting time, as it looks to build on the success of its ongoing $50 million Go Far, Go Together Campaign, which has raised $36 million so far for endowment, programs, and campus improvements. The School is also well positioned in its markets, with strong enrollment and students who continue to achieve significant academic successes: The forty-four members of the Class of 2011 were accepted into 96 colleges and universities, and more than half of our graduates received merit aid toward their continued education; 94 percent of MHS students taking Advanced Placement (AP) exams in May received qualifying scores; and based on those exams, twenty-two students were named by the College Board as AP Scholars. Last month, the School also announced that it received the gift of 60 Crofut Street, a property not far from the MHS campus. The property will be used as a home for the new Head of School.
“I am delighted that the Selection Committee chose a candidate who has engaged with young women on the college level, in that next step of their education, and chose a candidate who understands the important work that is happening at Miss Hall’s School to prepare girls for college and their future roles as our next generation of leaders,” said MHS Head of School Jeannie Norris. “Dr. Jablonski is an educator whose career focus has been about women and facilitating their growth as leaders, and she is extraordinarily well suited to expand the scope of work already underway at the School and to guide an ever more robust implementation of the School’s mission.”
Ms. Norris announced in April that she would step down after the 2011-12 academic year, her sixteenth year as the School’s Head. In accordance with a succession plan previously developed by Ms. Norris, Ms. O’Day, and the MHS Trustees, the School subsequently formed a Search Committee, chaired by Stacey Sotirhos, Ph.D., an MHS Trustee and member of the MHS Class of 1989, and retained the executive search firm Storbeck/Pimentel & Associates to assist in the transition.
“We were very pleased with the number of applicants and the quality of applicants for this position, and with the fact that we were able to swiftly conclude our search, all of which speak to the strength of the School, its position as a leader in girls’ education, and its potential going forward,” said Dr. Sotirhos. “The Committee was impressed with Dr. Jablonski’s administrative and academic credentials, as well as her demonstrated experience leading multi-dimensional organizations, her interest in and commitment to broader social issues affecting women, her experience as a successful fundraiser, and her ability to provide inspirational leadership.”
As a lead student affairs administrator at the University of New Haven, Dr. Jablonski works with students, faculty, and staff to create and maintain a climate that fosters student learning and development while enhancing a strong sense of community. Prior to joining the University of New Haven, Dr. Jablonski was the vice chancellor for student affairs at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill from 2004 until 2010, overseeing student life for approximately 17,500 undergraduate and 10,000 graduate students. Her areas of responsibility included housing and residential education, campus health services, counseling and wellness services, student judicial affairs, and Greek life.
Dr. Jablonski’s previous administrative and academic positions include serving as the dean for campus life at Brown University, the associate vice chancellor for student affairs at the University of Connecticut, associate dean for undergraduate education and student affairs at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and assistant dean for residential services at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Her research interests include women and leadership, higher education policy, spirituality in higher education, and the history of higher education. She is also a frequent presenter at international and national conferences on topics that have included sexual harassment on college campuses, women in education leadership, and transformative professional development for faculty.
Additionally, Dr. Jablonski has served on the Board of Directors of the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA), of which she is a member. She has also been on the board of the Massachusetts Association of Women in Education and is a member of the International Women's Forum.
A native of Springfield, Massachusetts, Dr. Jablonski holds a doctorate in Education from Boston University. For her dissertation, she researched the leadership styles of women college presidents across the country. She earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in history and education, respectively, at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
About Miss Hall’s School
Founded in 1898, Miss Hall’s School was one of the first all-girls boarding schools established in New England. Today the School is a nationally recognized, boarding and day independent secondary school that combines an exceptional college-preparatory curriculum with two acclaimed leadership programs, Horizons and the Girls’ Leadership Project. Both programs are central to our belief that, in addition to outstanding academic preparation, girls need additional skills that allow them to step confidently into the real world, where they will be expected to communicate effectively and authentically, voice opinions with resolve and respect, and be comfortable having influence, leading change, and contributing boldly and creatively to the common good.
Miss Hall’s School currently enrolls 180 girls, representing 15 states and 15 countries. For more information, call (413) 443-6401 or visit our website at www.misshalls.org <http://www.misshalls.org> .

TROY, NY (11/28/2011) -- Francesca Gundrum (Grafton, NY), a junior at Emma Willard School has been selected by the National Coalition of Girls' Schools (NCGS) as one of only two delegates to represent the United States at the 2012 Student Leadership Conference, January 18-22, at The Women's College, University of Sydney, in Australia.
The Student Leadership Conference is organized by The Alliance of Girls' Schools Australasia, a not-for-profit organization that aims to promote the education o...

girls in single sex girls' schools and increase public awareness that single sex schools provide the optimal learning environment for girls.
This year's conference is titled, "The Service Revolution," and its goal is to prepare students to be leaders in their school and in life. Gundrum will join 120 other student delegates from a mix of Alliance schools throughout Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore. The girls selected are independent and confident young women who will be ambassadors for their school and for NCGS.
"Francesca's school leadership experience and community service achievements speak for themselves," said Nancy T. Mugele, Interim Executive Director of the National Coalition of Girls' Schools. "She is a young woman who is moved to action and has a clear sense of how to mobilize those around her. She is a real model for her peers at Emma Willard School and beyond."
To say Gundrum is the epitome of a student leader would be an understatement. Her list of extracurricular activities is vast. She is the Junior Class President, a two-sport standout varsity athlete, and recipient of Emma Willard School's Helen Snell Cheel award for athletic achievement, sportsmanship and spirit. Gundrum is also an admissions tour guide, writing tutor, writer for The Gargoyle (Emma's yearbook), a board member of the school's literary magazine, The Triangle, and co-head of the cooking and soup kitchen club.
"Francesca (Ches) is a high achiever in a demanding academic program," said Trudy Hall, head of Emma Willard School. "More than this, she is an extraordinary school citizen; poised, respectful and respected, a mature and motivated optimist in a best-of-class league of her own. She is also a superb athlete who possesses that desirable chemistry of exceptional ability, mental and physical toughness, and a collaboratively competitive spirit. Ches is a truly gifted leader whose energy is felt in almost every aspect of Emma life."
Gundrum, a student who lives locally, said she welcomes the opportunity to hone her leadership skills internationally.
"Being a student leader at a boarding school requires flexibility, tolerance, open-mindedness, and a non-judgemental respect for others," said Gundrum. "It means getting involved. It means not just listening, but hearing, and it means knowing when to act and when not to."
About Emma Willard School
As the oldest non-denominational girls' school in the country, Emma Willard School has been empowering girls since 1814. Pioneering educator Emma Hart Willard founded the first school in the country to provide girls the same educational opportunities given to boys. Emma Willard School will celebrate its Bicentennial in 2014.

Miriam College’s Int’l Learning and Teaching Conference shows collegiality at its best

Miriam College’s (MC) first International Conference on Learning and Teaching (ICLT) proved to be a big success, gathering more than 400 participants composed of education leaders, scholars, and practitioners both here and abroad. Held last October 5-7, the conference created a dynamic venue for all participants to teach and to learn from each other: educators from co-educators, students from teachers, and teachers from students. The first day saw a packed Marian Auditorium fill...

d with delegates from different colleges and universities in the country; members of the MC community; and representatives from Ghana, Australia, Hong Kong, Korea, US, India, Japan, Nigeria, Nepal, Iran, Malaysia, and Tanzania.
Dr. Rosario O. Lapus, Miriam College president and ICLT convenor, welcomed the attendees and urged all to build upon the lessons and stories to be shared at the three-day conference and emerge from these “excited by the opportunities to innovate, effect change, and make a difference in our own classrooms, schools, and institutions.”
Among the distinguished speakers at the conference were former University of the Philippines president Emerlinda Roman who delivered the keynote speech on behalf of Senator Edgardo Angara; Dr. Virginia A. Miralao, UNESCO National Commission of the Philippines secretary general; Quezon province Representative and Committee Chair on Higher and Technical Education Philippine House of Representatives Juan Edgardo M. Angara; Amb. Laura Quiambao Del Rosario, Foreign Service Institute director; Dr. Luis Maria R. Calingo, executive vice president and chief academic officer of the Dominican University of California, USA; Dr. Robert Mobley, retired professor of Deaf Education; Fr. Jose Ramon T. Villarin, S.J., Ateneo De Manila University president; Sr. Helen R. Graham, M.M.; and representatives from the different colleges and universities.
Dr. Calingo shared his experiences about school leadership in the US and emphasized the need for shared governance and communicating a value system by example.
Kabataan Party List Representative, activist and blogger Raymund DV Palatino spoke about the teacher as a visionary, challenging teachers to use the liberating power of education to teach students how to change the world instead of preparing them to be more competitive in the job market and convert them into “mere consumers who are interested on how to increase their purchasing power.”
Taking a different perspective, the conference gave students their moment to speak and express their views about education. Participating schools were Miriam College, Miriam College-Southeast Asian Institute for the Deaf, Assumption College, and Philippine Science High School. The students, who represented different unit levels including the deaf, shared their struggles about juggling academic life and their social activities in school and the importance of their teachers’ support every step of the way. They also recognized the sacrifices of their teachers who, like them, balanced multiple tasks despite minimum salaries. One student speaker even suggested that teacher’s salaries should either be increased or shielded from government tax, earning applause among teachers in the audience.
Closing the conference was a sharing by Sr. Helen Graham, M.M. on Teaching God’s Love in Action. Using the autumn rain as analogy for a good teacher of God’s work, Sr. Helen astutely stated that “rain must be neither too overwhelming nor too spare to successfully water the land.”
In between plenary sessions were parallel sessions, paper presentations and workshops held simultaneously at different venues on campus. The Miriam community’s very own teachers and administrators shared the best practices of the school’s different advocacy centers, offices and academic units.
There were also performances by the ethnic music ensemble Kontra Gapi and the school’s homegrown talents including MC High School Glee Club, Music Center, MCHS Cultural Classical Dance Club, Musikayumanggi, and the Halili Cruz Ballet Dance Group.
The conference ended on a high note, with Dr. Lapus acknowledging the community’s efforts in making the event a success and announcing that the school will host the next ICLT in 2013.

Congratulations to the students, faculty and administrators from the Young Women's Leadership School in Queens who are featured in a story and accompanying video on ivillage.com about girls' participation in the math and science fields. To see the article, click ...

ere.

Greenwich Academy Students Present Research at Mt. Sinai School of Medicine

This summer, two Greenwich Academy students, Priyanka and Rebecca, spent several weeks at Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, conducting research in the lab of Dr. G. Pasinetti. These internships, coordinated by GA’s Duff Center, allowed both girls to focus on individual projects relating to the biological processes associated with early onset Alzheimer’s disease. Priyanka and Rebecca tackled different subsets of this research, both working under the direction of the Center of Excellence for Research ...

n Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CERC) in Alzheimer’s Disease.
Last week, the CERC gathered for a periodical update at the New York Academy of Medicine, where members of each of the nine involved institutions presented their findings to an external review board. Priyanka and Rebecca were both asked to attend this meeting and participated in a poster presentation session together. Priyanka also was invited to speak to the external review board to present the data she collected this summer.
Both girls’ work this summer reflects the dedication of GA’s Duff Center to fostering a community of independent learners. Engaging with real medical challenges, Rebecca and Priyanka spent their summers taking part in a global effort to eradicate disease. By embracing the Duff Center’s mission to ‘learn by doing,’ the girls made significant, active contributions to a vital field of research.
For more information see http://www.greenwichacademy.org/podium/default.aspx?t=204&nid=730243

Irma Rangel School Cited as Example of Successful Public Single-Sex Schooling

In Christina Hoff Sommers column "Fight proposed ban on single-sex schools" in USA Today on October 12th, NCGS member school, The Irma Rangel Young Women's Leadership School in Dallas, was cited as an example of an excellent public all-girl academy. Sommers states "The Irma Rangel Young Women's Leadership School in Dallas, opened in 2004 and enrolls 473 girls in grades 6 through 12. Its success has been dazzling. The school has scored at or near the top of all Dallas public schools on state test...

for the past five years. Dallas has opened a comparable academy for young men and has been inundated with applications from hopeful parents."
To read the complete article, which is a response to the article opposing single-sex education in Science Magazine, click here.
Congratulations to Irma Rangel for this national recognition!

Head of St. Margaret's School on Executive Leaders Radio

Margaret Broad, Head of St. Margaret's Schoolin Tappahannock, Virginia and NCGS Board Member, was featured on a national talk radio show recently. In an interview with Executive Leaders Radio, she shared the school's mission and philosophy, discussed how she came to be the Head of St. Margaret's and explained how the school's program has evolved since she has been Head. The show aired in the Washington D.C. metro area on WHFS/1580AM, WFED/1500AM ...

one Ridge School of the Sacred Heart in Bethesda andIztel Delgado who attends The Young Women's Leadership School of East Harlem in New York.
Girl Up is an innovative campaign of the United Nations Foundation. They give American girls the opportunity to become global leaders and channel their energy and compassion to raise awareness and funds for programs of the United Nations that help some of the world’s hardest-to-reach adolescent girls. The Teen Advisors help make Girl Up an engaging, effective, and powerful campaign by sharing their ideas and providing feedback on everything Girl Up does.

Roland Park Country School Teacher Published in Fall Issue of Independent School

Justin Short, eighth grade history teacher at Roland Park Country School, wrote an article entitled "I came, I saw, I friended Pompey on the Internet" for the Fall 2011 issue of Independent School. He describes his annual class project called "Rome-Net, a class project that exploits teenagers' fondness for using social networking websites like Facebook to create a spirited and dynamic simulation of Roman History" (page 1, from "The Reporter" section).
To learn more about this project...

see pages 1 and 2 of "The Reporter" section of the Fall 2011 issue of Independent School.

Young Women's Leadership Network raises more than $1.1 million at 5th annual (Em)Power Breakfast

The theme of this year's breakfast was "Our Teachers, Our Heroes" and celebrated the amazing teachers who inspire YWLN students to dream big and realize their potential. See this video to learn more about YWLN and the fantastic work of their teachers: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsThLJWnSdo

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St. Mary’s Episcopal School Class of 2011 includes Two Presidential Scholars, Four National Merit Scholars and a Morehead-Cain Scholar

(Memphis, TN) The St. Mary’s Episcopal School Class of 2011, made up of 58 graduates, included two Presidential Scholars, Four National Merit Scholars and a Morehead-Cain Scholar.
The naming of Valerie Huang and Neha Kumar as 2011 U.S. Presidential Scholars marks the second time in recent history that St. Mary's has had two Presidential Scholars in a graduating class. In 2006, another pair of St. Mary’s seniors - Katie Camille Friedman and Laura Kaplan were chosen for the honor. Hua...

g attends Yale University, and Kumar attends Washington University in St. Louis.
Kumar was also named a National Merit Scholar, joining fellow Seniors Melissa Luttmann (College of the Holy Cross), Mary Peeler and Maria Zoccola (Emory University) are recipients of the 2011 scholarship. Additionally, Peeler was named a Morehead-Cain Scholar at the University of North Carolina.
"These incredible honors certainly validates the strength of the St. Mary’s curriculum and how we educate the whole student," said Mimi Grossman, college adviser at St. Mary's. "Each of these girls is stellar in not only her academics, but also in her community service, leadership, and contribution to both St. Mary’s and the general community."
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Sally Walker Davies
901/537-1489
swalkerdavies@stmarysschool.org

The Ethel Walker School Celebrates its Centennial!

Congratulations to The Ethel Walker School on occasion of its Centennial Celebration, October 1, 2011.
For more information about the Ethel Walker School's Centennial, go to http://www.ethelwalker.org/centennial

TYWLS of East Harlem Senior Takes Part In 10th Anniversary of September 11th

The Young Women's Leadership School of East Harlem senior Asatira Lenard recited Billy Collins' poem "The Names" in front of the United Nations General Assembly as part of the Commeration of the 10th Anniversary of 9/11. To see the video, click here. She comes on at minute 47:30.

Director of Agnes Irwin's Center for the Advancement of Girls Responds to T-Shirt Controversy

This Op-Ed "Empowering girls, one T-shirt at a time" by Mariandl Hufford appeared in the Philadelphia Inquirer on September 14, 2011.
"The newest brouhaha over young women's apparel concerns retailer Forever 21's "Allergic to Algebra" T-shirt. This comes on the heels of J.C. Penney's T-shirt faux pa...

. The "I am too pretty for homework so my brother has to do it for me" quip so offended men and women alike that the company quickly pulled the product and issued a formal apology.
I don't want to linger on the sexist nature of these messages. As the mother of two daughters, I have screened the writing on their clothing for years, looking for any one-liners that diminish them as girls. I am not naïve enough to think that this incident will be the last time a company, in the name of humor and marketing, splashes a message that reduces girls to dolled-up, pretty airheads.

What I do want to talk about is why, in 2011, it is still commonplace to degrade girls and paint them with a brush of disempowering emptiness, more interested in beauty than smarts?
When I saw the offending shirts on the Internet, I was reminded of a little girl I saw this summer, marching through the hallways of my school, getting ready for a dance performance. She could not have been more than 6 years old. She wore shorts and a T-shirt that she had decorated herself, with copious amounts of glitter surrounding her name.
Her elbows bent at her sides, her head flung high, she marched, almost trotted, to the little girls' room. Her arms pumped vigorously, her hips propelled her forward, and in her face beamed the confidence, the sassiness, and the grit that are so often part of a little girl's personality.
My words stuck in my throat when a colleague pointed her out to me and said, laughing: "Isn't she awesome?" She was, and what I wished for in that moment was that this little girl would never lose the supreme audacity that shone in her eyes and radiated from her confident posture.
I hope this girl stays so self-assured that she rejects wearing a shirt that says her beauty is more important than her brain. I hope she never doubts that she can indeed take on the world and that she dismisses outright debasing messages when they come her way.
I want her, and any girl, to know that she is not a mindless "princess"; she is not an advertisement for her breasts (recall the infamous "Hooters in Training" T-shirt). Instead, she should always believe that she is fiercely capable of making an impact in the world and leaving it a better place. With her brain and her heart.
As an educator, I have the privilege of working in an all girls' environment. I know my work in some ways is easy. Our girls, throughout their time with us, are exposed to messages that girls are smart and can do anything. Our girls know they do not need to define themselves in shallow ways. Instead, they can define themselves as athletes, intellectuals, artists, leaders.
And that little girl I saw this summer. . . walking fearlessly and proudly toward her moment on stage, well, she has a shot. We will work with her to recognize the implications of the next offending shirt. And in so doing, we will allow her to create for herself the identity she deserves. With audacity and grit.

Mariandl Hufford is the director of the Center for the Advancement of Girls, an initiative of The Agnes Irwin School in Rosemont. E-mail her at mhufford@advancinggirls.org."

President of the Girls' Schools Association quoted in Telegraph on Gender Differences in UK Test Scores

In an August 26, 2011 article in the Telegraph, Helen Wright, president of the Girls' Schools Association, commented on the recently reported record high gender gaps in national exams in the UK. According to the article, "Figures show that more than a quarter of exams taken by girls this year scored top grades compared with less than a fifth of those sat by boys. The gap in results between the sexes is at a record level – and four times wider than when GC...

Greenwich Academy's Upper School students were introduced to the Greenwich Academy Scholar Network ," GAINS," on January 7, 2011. This scholar network connects and provides a network for students who are interested in STEM-related fields with one another and with GA alums and friends of GA who are working and studying in those academic and professional fields, in which women have been underrepresented. The network currently hosts 99 members. If you are interested in joining or learning more abo...

The Young Women’s Leadership Academy Foundation (YWLAF), the founding sponsor of the Chattanooga Girls Leadership Academy (CGLA), recently appointed educator and student advocate Rebeca Clay-Flores as its new Executive Director. She will succeed Executive Director, Maxine Bailey, co-founder of the Foundation as well as the Chattanooga Girls Leadership Academy. Bailey, who has transformed the lives of hundreds of...

girls and women in Hamilton County since moving to the Scenic City 13 years ago, is retiring to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
“Though we are saddened to see Maxine leave us, we are certainly grateful for the meaningful contributions she has made in our community,” said Sue Anne Wells, Board Chair of the Young Women’s Leadership Academy and Co-founder of the Chattanooga Girls Leadership Academy. “After an extensive search to find Maxine’s replacement, we were very fortunate to find Rebeca. Rebeca personally understands how educational opportunity can change the life of a child for the better. Her experiences, expertise, and knowledge will undoubtedly strengthen the Foundation’s philanthropic efforts and help us to further our mission.”
An undergraduate of Princeton University, Clay-Flores received a Masters in Education from Harvard University. She has taught at the secondary and postsecondary levels and was a founding teacher at the KIPP Aspire Academy in San Antonio, Texas. Ms. Clay-Flores’ previous experience also includes developing and implementing youth empowerment community programs in Illinois and Texas. She founded and led a nonprofit organization in San Antonio, Texas that worked to break the cycle of poverty, violence, and teenage pregnancy. Clay-Flores has traveled extensively throughout the world and was an English instructor in 2008 at the Universidad Autonoma de Tamaulipas in Tampico, Mexico.

Most recently, Clay-Flores served as Student Missions Coordinator at Southern Adventist University, preparing students for year-long foreign missionary assignments.
“I am excited to be part of an organization dedicated to bettering the lives of girls and strengthening our communities through educational empowerment opportunities,” said Clay-Flores. “I look forward to working with the Foundation’s Board of Directors, staff, volunteers and the many supporters of the Foundation’s work on behalf of the Chattanooga Girls Leadership Academy.”

6 Hockaday Alumnae working with Teach for America

DALLAS, Texas (August 25, 2011) Poverty limits educational opportunities, but children facing the challenge of poverty are proving that -with education- they can achieve at the highest levels. Hockaday alumnae are working with Teach for America to close the achievement gap and bring superior education to all children.
Continuing a long line of Hockaday alumnae joining the Teach for America corps, the Class of 2007 has six members who began their first stint teaching this fall in low-income sc...

ool districts. Teach for America recruits a diverse group of leaders with a record of achievement who work to expand educational opportunity, starting by teaching for two years in a low-income community.
Teach for America has the wonderful opportunity of an overwhelming number of applicants wanting to join the program as teachers, making the acceptance rate highly competitive. The Washington Post reported that the Teach for America 2011 acceptance rate was only 11 percent of the record 48,000 applicants for this fall. “Hockaday is proud that so many of its alumnae have been accepted into Teach for America, where they are making a huge difference in the lives of children across the country,” said Kim Wargo, Eugene McDermott Headmistress for the Hockaday School.
From the Hockaday Class of 2007, Teach for America invited the following recent college graduates. Allison Hayes is currently teaching middle school special education in Durham, NC, after graduating from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill as a Duke Robertson Scholar. Katherine Novinski now teaches middle school science in Baltimore, MD, after graduating from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill as a Morehead-Cain Scholar. Olivia Trevino now teaches first grade in Dallas after graduating from the University of Southern California. Blakely Hull is teaching in Los Angeles after graduating from the University of Southern California. Kat Morgan is teaching middle school math in Memphis, TN, after graduating from Rhodes College. Bess Milner is teaching in Nashville, TN, after graduating from the University of Texas at Austin.
CONTACT: Andi Pickle 214-360-6532 apickle@mail.hockaday.org

Woodslands Academy Science Center Earns LEED Silver Recognition

The Woodlands Academy of the Sacred Heart Science Center has been awarded Silver Certification from Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), the recognized standard for measuring building sustainability.
Woodlands Academy was seriously committed to environmentally responsible construction in the building of its state-of-the-art Science Center. 24% of all construction materials were produced with recycled content, so drywall, flooring, and concrete were selected based on the recyc...

Kim Wargo officially begins her tenure as Head of School at The Hockaday School

Kim Wargo officially began her tenure as Eugene McDermott Headmistress of The Hockaday School, Friday, July 1. She is the eleventh person to lead the School in its almost 100-year history.
Ms. Wargo’s appointment as Head of School was announced in November 2010 after an intensive nationwide search to find a successor to Jeanne P. Whitman, who announced her intention to retire at the end of the 2010-2011 academic year, following a distinguished, seven-year tenure.
Led by Hockaday ...

lumna Talley Dunn ’86, and in partnership with nationally-recognized search firm Storbeck/Pimentel, the search had tremendous momentum, attracting outstanding candidates from across the country. Ms. Wargo emerged as an extraordinary leader with a passion for the education of girls.
“Hockaday has long stood at the forefront of girls’ schools. I feel privileged to join the Hockaday community, and I am energized by the opportunity to lead this exceptional school into its second century of educating girls to be the leaders of tomorrow,” Ms. Wargo said.
A formal installation is planned to inaugurate Ms. Wargo, Sunday, September 25, the anniversary of Hockaday’s founding in 1913.
Ms. Wargo grew up in Louisiana and earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Louisiana State University, graduating summa cum laude. In 1993, she earned a master’s degree from Tulane University in history. She comes to Hockaday from the Katherine Delmar Burke School, a K-8th grade girls’ school in San Francisco, where she served as Head of School. Previously, Ms. Wargo was the Head of Upper School at the Louise S. McGehee School, a girls’ school in New Orleans. While at McGehee, Ms. Wargo taught middle and upper school girls while she served as chair of the history department and college counselor.
The Hockaday School prepares girls of strong potential to arrive at positions of responsibility and leadership in a rapidly changing world by giving them a foundation for living grounded on the Four Cornerstones: Character, Courtesy, Scholarship, and Athletics.
Founded in 1913, Hockaday is an independent, college preparatory day and boarding school for girls. Comprised of more than 1,000 students of diverse backgrounds and cultures, Hockaday educates girls from pre-kindergarten to twelfth grade and is the largest girls’ school in the nation.
http://www.hockaday.org/podium/default.aspx?t=204&nid=605651&bl=/default.aspx

Soledad O'Brien Inspires CGLA Students and Community

CNN Special Correspondent and award-winning author Soledad O'Brien addressed a sold-out crowd at the Odyssey 2011 Luncheon and Awards Ceremony in May, inspiring the crowd of over 500 to make a difference in the lives of young women in our community. Presented by the Young Women's Leadership Academy Foundation (YWLAF), founding sponsor of the Chattanooga Girls Leadership Academy (CGLA), the event raised over $50,000 to support CGLA's mission.

In the June 2011 issue of Vanity Fair (p.107), Ann Tisch, Founder of the Young Women's Leadership Network, was nominated into Vanity Fair's "Hall of Fame." Ann was nominated for many reasons including "[b]ecause [she] saw no obstacles to her dream of a public, single-sex school in Harlem, where 83 percent of the students were below the poverty line and some lived in homeless shelters or in foster care" and "[b]ecause in 1996 she resisted the American Civil Liberties Union's objection to single-s...

x education, found space in an office building on 106th Street, and opened the Young Women's Leadership School (T.W.L.S.)." Congratulations to Ann and the entire YWLN!

Coastal Studies for Girls Offers HALF OFF Fall Tuition for NCGS Members

Sharing like minded missions of making great opportunities available for girls, The National Coalition of Girls Schools is pleased to be partnering with Coastal Studies for Girls in Freeport, Maine.
Coastal Studies for Girls would like to support the work of NCGS Member Schools by encouraging girls whose schools are members to apply for the Fall Semester at Coastal Studies for Girls, www.coastalstudiesforgirls.org.
The NCGS Member School Applicants will receive TUITION AT HALF PRICE FOR THE FALL SEMESTER! Coastal Studies for Girls is accepting applications NOW for Fall Term, and are on a rolling admissions basis, which means GET YOUR APPLICATION IN ASAP! You must be accepted based on merit first (including your complete application, essays, transcript and letters of recommendation) and if you are approved, CSG will hold a space for you in the August 28-December 17 semester.
Should one of your students have serious intent to apply, please send an email to Tara@coastalstudiesforgirls.org to let her know.
There is great information on the website, so be sure to check out the Student Blog and Facebook links at the bottom of the home page, as well as the Gallery Tab on the top of the home page. You are also welcome to visit CSG this spring, but don't hesitate, as the remaining spots will go fast.

Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day at Columbus School for Girls

Fifth and sixth grade girls experienced a day using their imagination and analytical skills to invent, design, and build! CSG, in collaboration with Women in Engineering at The Ohio State University provided the girls with a variety of engineering experiences that included designing and building a shock-absorbing system for a lunar lander made out of everyday materials. They also explored chemical engineering by mixing different chemicals to create sidewalk chalk and bath fizzies. Thei...

final task was to take on the role of a civil, mechanical, and materials science engineer to plan, design, and build a miniature playground. They have learned that engineers are changing the world all the time by dreaming up creative and practical solutions.
CSG is offering an additional hands-on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) event for girls in our community ages 9 - 11 on Saturday, May 7th from 10 AM to noon. This event is in celebration of the national 10th anniversary of Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day. Feel free to spread to the word to your daughter's friends. Click here for more information.
YouTube Video: http://www.youtube.com/user/ColumbusSchoolGirls#p/u/6/iiHwjYpH1dw

Congratulations to 4 NCGS students for winning National Award for Aspirations in Computing!

for winning the National Award for Aspirations in Computing given by the National Council for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT). The NCWIT Award for Aspirations in Computing honors young women active and interested in computing and technology. We are proud to have 4 national winners amongst our membership! To learn more about the winners, see http://www.ncwit.org/award/award.winners.bios.php and to learn more about the Award for Aspirations, including how to apply, see http://www.ncwit.org/award/award.index.php

Roland Park Country School girls visit White House!

A group of students from Roland Park Country School in Baltimore, MD attended an event at the White House hosted by First Lady Michelle Obama along with Girl Up, an organization formed by the United Nations Foundation. The students discussed a day in the life of an African girl and shared common themes that unite girls everywhere, no matter where they are born. The event coincided with First Lady Michelle Obama’s trip to Africa where she focused on youth leadership, education, health and wellne...

Greenfield, MA - March 30, 2011: Stoneleigh-Burnham School has received official authorization to open as an International Baccalaureate (IB) World School.® The school will offer the internationally acclaimed, comprehensive, academically-rigorous IB Diploma Program starting this fall.
Coming after an in-depth, multi-year accreditation process, the designation means that Stoneleigh-Burnham School is now the third girls' school in the United States, the only girls' school in New ...

ngland and one of only three boarding schools in New England to offer this prestigious program of study.
"The IB Diploma Program will complement not only our dedication to preparing girls for collegiate success, but also our commitment to multicultural education," said Head of School, Sally Mixsell. "The IB impels us to offer a more global, interdisciplinary curriculum, opening doors for our students to attend universities around the world and to graduate with critical thinking skills that will set them apart from their peers."
Students who choose to enroll in the optional IB program will spend their junior and senior years studying high-level material in six subject areas. As part of the curriculum, students will also complete an extended essay, take an integrative Theory of Knowledge course and work to achieve self-set goals focused on creativity, athletic pursuit and community service. Alternatively, students will be able to take single or multiple IB courses to earn individual certificates of study without completing the entire IB Diploma Program.
Unlike the Advanced Placement (AP) program, student access to the IB Program is based on motivation to work, not grades. "The IB is available to any student," said Academic Dean, Natalie Demers. "It encourages interdisciplinary thinking, approaches subjects from an international perspective, teaches for understanding and self-reflection, and affords students a balanced view of themselves in the larger world. Most importantly, the IB Diploma signifies that the student has taken an active role in her own intellectual and personal development." As in the AP program, students may earn college credit for their IB work. For more information on the IB, visit ibo.org.
Since 1869, Stoneleigh-Burnham School has been preparing girls grades 7-12 for college and the world. Stoneleigh-Burnham School is an academic community that inspires girls to pursue meaningful lives based on honor, respect and intellectual curiosity. Each student is challenged to discover her best self and graduate with the confidence to think independently and act ethically, secure in the knowledge that her voice will be heard. For more information on the school, visit sbschool.org.

Member School Marymount High School Wins Distinguished Apple Award

Apple has awarded Marymount High School with an Apple Distinguished School designation for the 2010-2011 school year. In an all-school assembly, Apple executive Dan Roach indicated that " Apple has watched you integrate these devices in a way that changes the way you learn...Marymount represents what we think is the best way to approach education. We have so much pride in your school that we want to align our brand with your brand."
The Apple Distinguished school desi...

nation is reserved for schools that have demonstrated Apple's highest vision of a successful 21st century learning environment, and are centers of educational excellence and leadership, consistently employing 'best practice' qualities of a 21st century learning environment utilizing Apple technology.
Marymount is one of only 10 schools in the state and 52 in the country to be recognized this year. Further, Marymount is one of only 19 schools in the country who are considered NEW Apple Distinguished Schools this year.
Upon receiving notice of the award, Head of School Jacqueline Landry said, "We are excited that Apple has recognized our success with this program and our commitment to a 21st century learning environment. As a Catholic, independent girls school, we know that girls thrive in a collaborative environment, and the one to one program really complements both this tendency toward collaboration as well as the many and varied learning styles of our students."
Of the changes at Marymount since launching the one to one program, Assistant Head of School and Dean of Studies Dr. Judy Edwards said, "Well into our second school year employing Apple's one to one laptop program, the changes I see in the classroom are phenomenal. Both students and teachers alike are actively engaged with the learning process and the digital tools at their fingertips. The use of these tools is not just technology for technology's sake, but with an eye toward an enhanced, enriched, learning experience."
Marymount High School is an independent, Catholic college preparatory school for girls in grades 9-12. Since 1923, Marymount has educated and empowered the minds, hearts and spirits of girls while preparing them to make a better world. The school provides purposeful leadership training, a rigorous academic program, and extensive co-curricular opportunities that challenge and inspire students to be educated, informed, and socially responsible global citizens. Marymount draws students from throughout Los Angeles and challenges them to recognize their leadership abilities, to apply their intellects to work for social change that will extend dignity to all.

Purnell School To Be Featured On The Discovery Channel

An award-winning, long-standing television program, The Profiles Series is dedicated to showcasing the most important issues of the day. From business and technology stories to breakthroughs in medicine, topics also cover the current issues of today, and now include education.
Purnell School was selected as one of just a few educational institutions to be featured on a Telly Award winning program for schools exemplifying the best in 21st Century education and individualized learning. H...

sted by Lou Gossett, Jr. this series highlights Purnell's mission to teach young women to be lifelong learners with the ability to conduct research, analyze, and present their thinking in coherent and compelling ways. Susanne Beck, Executive Director of the National Coalition of Girls' Schools, joins with Ayanna Hill-Gill, Head of Purnell School, and validates the significance of single-sex education and the importance of the work that is happening at Purnell.
The Profiles Series and Purnell School are proud to announce the airing of this special edition half-hour program on the Disc